Yerribas’ Song

At the Horsey Inn in Strawford Town, George and Diego finally packed their things. They were leaving.

They paid Huckleberry sixteen dirhams. And George just learned it was the Phulas currency.

They were rectangular in shape. Just about the size of an adult's fingernail. It had a rustic brown color and had a hole where you can insert a string to tie your dirham into a necklace for easy carry.

He had seen a lot of people wearing this stuff. He ignored it, obviously. Thinking this was just the Phulas fashion statement. But as it turned out, it was actually money.

Then they bid Huckleberry and his son goodbyes and left the inn. They were headed north. To one of the three forbidden regions of Phulas. The Zudril Sea.

Fishing was impossible there. The savage waves will devour your boat. And you wouldn't know when you'll die after you get hit by lightning. As it favors none. No thunder to warn you. No one to rescue you. A sea filled with mythical creatures.

To get there, they had to pass through a moaning lake, a haunted forest, and a dragon's lair. It sounded intimidating but they should be fine if they followed the straight road and took no detours.

There was only one true path and it should take them to their destination no problem. They just had to be vigilant. One wrong turn could spell trouble. And they had a time limit too so they can't afford to mess up.

"You should sleep inside the coach, George. You said you churned energy to turn anything to dust, right? So you should sleep. I'll wake you up if anything comes up. I promise." Diego told George.

He patted the hem of his green robe to get rid of the dirt. He didn't know when it got there. And Diego hated it whenever he looked dirty. And anything dirty altogether. He wanted everything neat and clean.

"Where did you get it?" George asked. Referring to the robe. He thought he wanted one too. It gets chilly at night and he also wanted protection from dust. And something to cover his face.

"Which one?"

"The robe," George replied. "Is it possible for me to—never mind. I forgot I didn't have money. Forget I ever asked." And then he turned his back and climbed to the coach to catch some sleep like what Diego told him.

It made Diego chuckle. He found George adorable acting like his younger brother. A younger brother whose face and name he couldn't remember.

"Heh! Should I get him a robe?" He muttered as he climbed to the driver's seat and made the two black horses pull the coach.

It was a quarter past nine when they left Strawford Town. But it wouldn't be their last visit. They will be coming back in the future. But for now, their mission was to head north.

Meanwhile, as George closed his eyes, he found himself in a familiar place again. He was back to the small, squarish room in his dream. Dark, dirty, and eerie.

Across from him was the old man who introduced himself as Yerribas the bloodless. Still holding the hourglass with more sand at the bottom than the last time.

"You came? Ohoho! He came! He came!" He cheered as he circled around George, both hands stretched in the air as he hopped in sheer joy. "He came! He came! Haha. He came!"

"Careful, old man." George told him when he almost slipped again.

"I will! But why did you come?" The man asked as he stopped in front of him and brought his face three inches close to George's face.

"Uh, must I say to you I didn't do any of these by choice?" He told Yerribas as he pushed him away from him. The flies made him cringe.

"Of course, you didn't! I know that, you fool." Then he went back to hopping around George.

He was a weird man indeed. On the brink of insanity in George's opinion.

And then the old man started singing.

"Hop and hop I go.

"Whoppity! Whippity! Yo!

"And up I go. And down they go.

"They're leading a path of doom!"

He repeated the song three times until George finally had enough.

"Please, sto—"

"They're leading a path of doooom!" The man cut him off. And then the dream ended. Diego woke him up.

"George, wake up. I think we lost the true path."

***

Meanwhile, at the luxury villa on the east coast of Bonaville. At the main gate to be specific. There was a big brown mama bear with her two tiny cubs following behind her.

She stood on her two hind legs and walked like a human. Then she peered through the small crack before she pressed the doorbell. She pressed it two times.

It made the twins behind the gate look at each other. Should they let it in? Or should they not? They were Ethan and Nathan. And it had been a while since they started hanging out with their aunt, Lucia. And her naughtiness surely rubbed off of them. And so they let the mama bear in as they snickered. Imagining how the people inside might react.

And surely enough, their reaction didn't disappoint.

Rufus, the gardener, let go of his shovel. Jaws about to drop as he stared at the big brown bear pretending to be a human.

The mama bear approached Martha, the cook, who was holding a basket of apples. The bear took one for her and for each of her cubs. Then she headed straight to the basement.

Rufus and Martha followed it, of course. And they were surprised to see the mama bear trying to open Lucia's 'No Entry' room.

They looked at each other. And anyone looking at them would know a whole conversation took place at that moment.

They didn't stop it because they were used to Henry calling random animals in. But he usually tells them in advance. That's why they hesitated either to let it be or bring it back to where it came from.

But they couldn't help but be surprised, again, with what they saw when the bear finally opened the door.

"Henry?" It was Rufus, disbelieving. He stared at Henry who lied on the floor with only his eyes darting in their direction.

And when Henry saw them, he began to squirm in his poor attempt to stand and not make any more shame for himself. And he failed miserably.

"Goodness, Henry! What happened to you?" Martha asked and immediately tended him.

"Djoods! Djooooooooords!" Henry screamed.